Officer Robert Thibault, center, was a recipient of the Baldwinsville Police Department’s Police Administrator’s Special Recognition Award. With Thibault are Baldwinsville Mayor Joseph Saraceni, left, and Chief Michael Lefancheck.

Baldwinsville  Two members of the Baldwinsville Police Department were presented with Police Administrator’s Special Recognition Award’s by Chief Michael W. Lefancheck and Mayor Joseph Saraceni during the Nov. 17 village board meeting.

According to Lefancheck, these awards were rarely given, as he could not remember during his 24-year career when a Police Administrator’s Special Recognition Award had been presented.

The first award was presented to Lt. Thomas J. LeRoy for his work during the spring and summer of 2011 on the graffiti clean-up and removal throughout the village. Lefancheck said LeRoy took it upon himself to organize a graffiti clean-up to coincide with Earth Day.

“He secured assistance from local citizens and also contacted the owners of vacant downtown buildings that had been vandalized and convinced the owners to paint over the graffiti,” Lefancheck said. “Lt. LeRoy then diligently patrolled these areas and whenever new graffiti appeared, he immediately again painted over it.” Chief Lefancheck continued adding that this type of diligence is at the heart of the department’s “community service” philosophy and that LeRoy was very deserving of such recognition.

The second award was presented to Officer Robert A. Thibault for his work in solving a number of felony investigations throughout the spring and summer of 2011. Due to Thibault’s diligence, several burglary cases were solved, the chief said. Thibault was also the primary investigator on a violent hammer attack, where both suspects were arrested and subsequently sentenced to serve 25 years in state prison.

“What distinguished Officer Thibault’s work was that while he conducted these investigations, he still performed his road patrol duties in a diligent manner,” Lefancheck said.